Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Hair Salon and Day Spa
    Hair Salon and Day Spa
    Hair Salon and Day Spa
    Ebook1,528 pages19 hours

    Hair Salon and Day Spa

    By Entrepreneur magazine

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Succeed with style! Hair salons and day spas across the country are making as much as $300,000 a year - and you can, too. Whether you want to start a small salon out of your home or open a full-service day spa, this guide will show you exactly how to succeed.

    You don't even have to be a stylist. If you've got strong business skills, you can open a salon/spa, rent space to stylists, message therapists and nail artists, then sit back and rack in the cash. Inside our guide you'll find:

    Analyze the market, write a business plan and advertise effectively
    Establish a website to spread the word and bring in more revenue
    Increase sales with no extra effort by applying simple upselling techniques
    Keep track of your finances with ready-to-use work sheets
    Professional industry experts share inside information and invaluable advice, revealing how they have been successful in this lucrative business, and more importantly, how you can be successful, too.

    Attractive hair, newfound energy and a revitalized appearance are always in style, no matter what ups and downs await the economy. Whether you love styling hair or prefer managing personnel, you'll find that it pays to help people look good and feel great. This guide will show you the profitable way of making someone's day. Order today and get started on the path to success!




    The First Three Years
    In addition to industry specific information, you’ll also tap into Entrepreneur’s more than 30 years of small business expertise via the 2nd section of the guide - Start Your Own Business. SYOB offers critical startup essentials and a current, comprehensive view of what it takes to survive the crucial first three years, giving your exactly what you need to survive and succeed. Plus, you’ll get advice and insight from experts and practicing entrepreneurs, all offering common-sense approaches and solutions to a wide range of challenges.
    Pin point your target market
    Uncover creative financing for startup and growth
    Use online resources to streamline your business plan
    Learn the secrets of successful marketing
    Discover digital and social media tools and how to use them
    Take advantage of hundreds of resources
    Receive vital forms, worksheets and checklists

    From startup to retirement, millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners have trusted Entrepreneur to point them in the right direction. We’ll teach you the secrets of the winners, and give you exactly what you need to lay the groundwork for success.

    BONUS: Entrepreneur’s Startup Resource Kit!
    Every small business is unique. Therefore, it’s essential to have tools that are customizable depending on your business’s needs. That’s why with Entrepreneur is also offering you access to our Startup Resource Kit. Get instant access to thousands of business letters, sales letters, sample documents and more all at your fingertips!


    You’ll find the following:

    The Small Business Legal Toolkit
    When your business dreams go from idea to reality, you’re suddenly faced with laws and regulations governing nearly every move you make. Learn how to stay in compliance and protect your business from legal action. In this essential toolkit, you’ll get answers to the how do I get started?” questions every business owner faces along with a thorough understanding of the legal and tax requirements of your business.

    Sample Business Letters
    1000+ customizable business letters covering each type of written business communication you’re likely
    to encounter as you communicate with customers, suppliers, employees, and others. Plus a complete guide to business communication that covers every question you may have about developing your own business communication style.

    Sample Sales Letters
    The experts at Entrepreneur have compliled more than 1000 of the most effective sales letters covering introductions, prospecting, setti
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEntrepreneur Press
    Release dateJul 15, 2012
    ISBN9781613082102
    Hair Salon and Day Spa

    Read more from Entrepreneur Magazine

    Related to Hair Salon and Day Spa

    Related ebooks

    Small Business & Entrepreneurs For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Miracle Ingredient

      May 25, 2020

      Miracle Ingredient
      6 min read

    • Article

      20 Best Spas From Around The World

      Sep 9, 2019

      20 Best Spas From Around The World
      8 min read

    • Article

      Strong FOUNDATIONS

      Aug 15, 2021

      Strong FOUNDATIONS
      2 min read

    • Article

      Skincare That’s Uniquely Yours

      Apr 24, 2019

      Tired of taking a trial-and-error approach with skincare products, only to find that they don’t work for you? Since no two persons are completely alike, it makes sense that your skincare products should be specially tailored for you. Enter alche{me},

      2 min read

    • Article

      How a Startup Company Can Succeed

      Sep 29, 2022

      How a Startup Company Can Succeed
      2 min read

    • Article

      Small Beginnings: 10 Ways To Get Your Business Off To A Good Start

      Sep 11, 2021

      Maybe the pandemic made you reassess your lifestyle and work, or maybe you already had considered going it alone and have been waiting to take the plunge. Either way, if you have decided to start your own business you should be prepared for a challen

      8 min read

    • Article

      Fuel Spark Success

      Jun 5, 2020

      Fuel Spark Success
      8 min read

    • Article

      Starting Up

      Jun 17, 2022

      Starting Up
      4 min read

    • Article

      Startup Guide!

      Dec 31, 2019

      Startup Guide!
      4 min read

    • Article

      Magnus’ Marketing Minute

      Jul 1, 2023

      Michael Magnus is an advertising professional who supports the growth of the leather industry through his marketing agency, Magnus Opus. Among his client partnerships are Silver Creek Leather Co., manufacturers of Realeather® Crafts and Lace, and Jim

      5 min read

    • Article

      7 Home Businesses You Can Launch in 2021

      Mar 25, 2021

      If you're considering starting your own business in 2021, you're in good company. Many people are looking to pivot and try something new in light of the recent economic climate. Self-employment can be a great way to design your working style and deve

      6 min read

    • Article

      The First 90 Days

      Feb 1, 2018

      The First 90 Days
      14 min read

    • Article

      6 Fantastic Business Ideas for Moms

      Dec 24, 2020

      Rather than work a 9-5 job every day, what if you could be your own boss and make your own schedule? That's where business ideas for moms play a major role. Starting a work-at-home endeavor is a rising trend that is only going to become more prevalen

      6 min read

    • Article

      15 Small Business Ideas to Launch from Home This Fall

      Oct 18, 2019

      Side hustle, small business, or side project. Call it what you will. In the gig economy that we're living in, everyone can materialize their longing to build something profitable and amazing outside their regular 9-to-5 jobs. Not only are there free

      6 min read

    • Article

      Grow Your Remote Business

      Jun 30, 2020

      Grow Your Remote Business
      4 min read

    • Article

      Launch a Side Hustle!

      Dec 31, 2019

      Launch a Side Hustle!
      25 min read

    • Article

      New Business Checklist

      Oct 18, 2019

      New Business Checklist
      4 min read

    • Article

      Be Your Own Boss

      Jul 10, 2020

      Be Your Own Boss
      4 min read

    • Article

      How to Start a Business with Zero Dollars: CEO Donnie P Knows

      Jun 25, 2022

      Entrepreneur Donnie P (www.donniepbooks.com) has over twenty years of experience taking ideas and turning them into a successful business ventures. He literally wrote the book on helping cash-strapped entrepreneurs start successful businesses with Ho

      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Hair Salon and Day Spa

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Hair Salon and Day Spa - Entrepreneur magazine

      001

      Every small business is unique. Therefore, it’s essential to have tools that are customizable depending on your business’s needs. That’s why Entrepreneur is offering you access to our Startup Resource Kit. Get instant access to thousands of business letters, sales letters, sample documents and more – all at your fingertips!

      Accessing Entrepreneur’s Free Startup Resource Kit is easy.

      Simply visit: www.entrepreneur.com/guideoffer

      and download to any windows or mac computer

      You’ll find the following:

      The Small Business Legal Toolkit

      When your business dreams go from idea to reality, you’re suddenly faced with laws and regulations governing nearly every move you make. Learn how to stay in compliance and protect your business from legal action. In this essential toolkit, you’ll get answers to the how do I get started? questions every business owner faces along with a thorough understanding of the legal and tax requirements of your business.

      Sample Business Letters

      1000+ customizable business letters covering each type of written business communication you’re likely to encounter as you communicate with customers, suppliers, employees, and others. Plus a complete guide to business communication that covers every question you may have about developing your own business communication style.

      Sample Sales Letters

      The experts at Entrepreneur have compliled more than 1000 of the most effective sales letters covering introductions, prospecting, setting up appointments, cover letters, proposal letters, the all-important follow-up letter and letters covering all aspects of sales operations to help you make the sale, generate new customers and huge profits.

      001

      Entrepreneur Press, Publisher

      Cover Design: Jane Maramba

      Production and Composition: Eliot House Productions

      © 2012 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc.

      All rights reserved.

      Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed to the Business Products Division, Entrepreneur Media Inc.

      This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

      Hair Salon and Day Spa: Entrepreneur’s Step by Step Startup Guide, 2nd Edition

      978-1-61308-210-2

      Previously published as

      Start Your Own Hair Salon and Day Spa, 2nd Edition, ISBN: 978-1-61308-077-1

      ©2010 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc., All rights reserved.

      Start Your Own Business, 5th Edition, ISBN: 978-1-61308-010-8,

      ©2009 Entrepreneur Media, Inc., All rights reserved

      Printed in the United States of America

      16 15 14 13 12                                                                                  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      Chapter 1 - Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow

      Earning Potential

      A Look Back

      A Look Forward

      The Opportunities

      Chapter 2 - The Salon Scene

      Chop Shop

      Selecting Services

      Smoothing and Soothing

      Beauty Business Basics

      Chapter 3 - Casting Your (Hair)net: Market Research

      Finding Clients to Dye For

      The Tao of Economics

      Conducting Market Research

      Charting Your Course

      Chapter 4 - Splitting Legal Hairs

      Sole Proprietorship

      Partnership

      Corporation

      Limited Liability Company

      The Name Game

      Claiming Your Name

      Home-y Pursuits

      The Business (Plan) of Beauty

      Chapter 5 - Leaving the Station Assembling a Team of Business Professionals

      Legal Briefing

      Money Mavens

      Risk Underwriters

      Computer Whiz

      Chapter 6 - Home Chic Home Establishing a Salon/Spa Location

      Building Basics

      Good as New

      Shop Talk

      Getting the Look

      Tell Them About It

      Chapter 7 - The Cutting Edge Hair Salon Equipment

      Personal Pampering Paraphernalia

      Fixtures, Salon Furniture, and Hardware

      Reception/Retail Area Equipment

      Salon Equipment

      Employee Lounge and Workroom Equipment

      Security Equipment

      Office Equipment and Supplies

      Office Supplies

      Go for It

      Chapter 8 - The Serene Scene Spa Equipment

      A Booming Market

      The Spa Experience

      Getting the Look

      Chapter 9 - The Coiffure Crew Personnel

      Owner/Operator

      Salon Manager

      Hairstylist/Cosmetologist

      Shampoo/Salon Assistant

      Receptionist

      Manicurist

      Spa Staff

      Independent Contractors

      Hiring Your Staff

      Benefit Basics

      Back to School

      Taxing Issues

      Workplace Safety Issues

      Chapter 10 - Professional Development Opportunities to Dye For

      Industry Associations

      Industry Publications

      Trade Shows

      Yearning for Learning

      Chapter 11 - Blow(dry)ing Your Own Horn Advertising

      On Your Mark

      SWOT Analysis

      Get Set

      Spread the News!

      Classic Cards

      The Grand Unveiling

      Chapter 12 - Surfing for Fun and Profit

      Your Personal Database

      Working the Web

      Blogging as a Sales Tool

      Social Networking and Other Internet Tools

      Domain Sweet Domain

      The Host with the Most

      Chapter 13 - Promotion Ploys

      News Releases

      Feature Articles

      Newsletters

      Trade Shows

      Networking

      Open Houses

      Special Events

      Chapter 14 - Stylin’ by the Numbers Financial Management

      Income and Operating Expenses

      Forecasting Receivables

      Bookkeeping Solutions

      Financing 101

      Chapter 15 - Hair-Raising Truths and Tales

      Why Businesses Fail

      Your Plan of Action

      Words from the Wise

      Tales from the Trenches

      Your Formula for Success

      Appendix - Hair Salon and Day Spa Resources

      Glossary

      Index

      Preface

      Are you looking for a business that’s personally rewarding, makes a lot of people happy, can be very lucrative, and is recession-proof? If you’ll settle for three out of four (since no business can completely escape the impact of a down economy), then you’ve come to the right place.

      The book you’re holding will give you all the practical advice you need to build the foundation for and launch a full-service hair salon and day spa. That includes information you’ll need to handle the myriad details that go into starting and operating a small business, from analyzing your market, writing a business plan and establishing an internet presence to finding financing and handling all the other day-to-day duties necessary to keep your business running like a well-oiled machine. It’s possible to do these things well whether you’re a practicing cosmetologist who’s decided the time is right to strike out on your own, or a business manager who can see the potential in this always-dynamic, always-growing industry. All it takes is determination, hard work, optimism, and a willingness to learn anything related to business management that you don’t already know.

      Of course, it does help to have a strong business background and a good head for numbers, even if the extent of your experience is accurately calculating the government’s lamentable bite out of your tip income, balancing your checkbook, or managing a household budget. Previous college coursework in disciplines like accounting and business management is even better. But as the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and if you’re determined to be successful, your chances of achieving your dreams increase significantly.

      Toward that end, this how-to volume contains many resources that will help you find your own little piece of shear heaven. There are step-by-step instructions for important tasks like selecting the appropriate legal structure for your salon and coordinating an advertising program. There are worksheets that can help you calculate costs, keep expenditures under control, and stay organized. There are also names and addresses (both snail and cyber) of numerous industry organizations and government agencies that can provide valuable information.

      But perhaps most important, there are tips and advice from industry insiders, including numerous salon owners and other stars of the beauty industry universe who lent their voices and vision to this project by agreeing to be interviewed, sometimes for hours at a time and sometimes in the wee morning hours before their businesses opened or well into the night. No doubt they were so generous with their time because they know the value of leading by example, and you’ll hear from them often in the pages of this book because firsthand experience truly is a great teacher. What’s more, they’ve all agreed to be personal resources for you in case you have questions that only another experienced salon/spa owner/manager can answer. You’ll find contact information for these gracious folks in the Appendix.

      By the way, what you won’t find in these pages is instructions for giving a great razor cut, rolling perms, or foiling hair. Frankly, that instruction is best left to the pros at cosmetology schools and other beauty industry sources. And since there’s a good chance you’re already practicing the craft of beauty as a profession, you probably don’t need help in that area anyway. Or if you’re a business/marketing type, you’ll probably never have the slightest inclination to start shearing heads.

      So turn the page and let’s start rolling!

      1

      Hair Today, Hair Tomorrow

      Housing values may plummet. Retirement funds may shrink. Hurricanes may howl maniacally and exotic viruses may spread unchecked. But despite manmade and natural disasters, hair still grows, and people still need pampering. So no matter what the state of the economy and the world we live in, it’s still a good time to start a hair salon and day spa, and the prospects for shear success are excellent.

      According to a Modern Salon survey, there were 400,000 hair salons in the United States in a recent year. The salon service industry had revenues of $60 billion, which included $23 billion generated by hair cut services and $5.5 billion by retail hair care product sales. In addition, the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Services reports that the demand for trained cosmetologists has continued to grow over the past 10 years.

      How is it possible for a service sector like the beauty industry to continue to thrive given the fluctuations of the economy? No doubt because many of the services offered by salons simply can’t be duplicated at home—or at least not duplicated well. In addition, in an age where people freely shell out $5 for a cup of coffee, the price of a haircut probably doesn’t seem very high considering the lift it can give your spirits. Also, the baby boomers, who now constitute the largest population segment in America, are more than willing and are still financially able to spend money on any personal care service they perceive will make them look younger and more attractive. No doubt as a result of their driving desire for a youthful appearance, the hair color segment of the salon industry continues to grow, according to Professional Consultants and Resources, a Plano, Texas, marketing and consulting firm. Coloring alone brought in $10.4 billion for the beauty industry in a recent year.

      The spa industry also is faring well. According to the International Spa Association, the U.S. spa industry had revenues of $10.9 billion in 2008, generated by 138 million spa visits. It’s estimated there are 32.2 million active spa-goers, 34 percent of whom are men.

      Earning Potential

      What all this prosperity means to you is that the prospects for people who own personal care businesses are bright. The most recent Job Demand Survey, distributed by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences, indicated that average total income (including tips) for salon owners was $53,150, although it’s possible to earn much more depending on where and how you do business. For instance, two salon owners interviewed for this book earned $120,000 in a recent year.

      A search of the internet revealed that there’s no other data to indicate exactly how well the owners of salon/spas are doing. Suffice it to say that total wages and salaries for the estimated 303,700 employees in the spa industry were almost $5 billion across the entire industry in the past few years.

      A Look Back

      Although the recent interest in personal care services may seem like a new trend, the reality is that hair care has long been a part of human culture ... in fact, probably for as long as humans have been on the planet. The earliest record of personal hair care dates back 2.5 million years ago, when brushes used to create cave paintings in Spain and France were adapted for use in hair grooming. More recently, archeologists have found evidence that cosmetics were used by the Egyptians as early as the fourth millennium B.C. (for proof, just check out the golden sarcophagus of the boy king Tutankhamen with its heavily painted visage), as well as ancient artifacts of eye makeup.

      Although hairdressing techniques have evolved throughout the ages, some things have stayed the same. Primitive men, including Native Americans, tied feathers, beads, and other objects into their hair, which they wore long and flowing to denote status and intimidate enemies. Persian noblemen curled their hair and beards, and even used henna to stain them red. Men often wore wigs throughout the ages, including during the 18th century when their wigs were powdered and styled with queues, or long ponytails, that hung down their backs. Women were equally fashionable throughout history, using yellow soap to dye their hair blonde in republican Rome, or coiling their tresses into styles that at times were covered by cauls (nets) or embellished with jewels or golden ornaments.

      Interestingly, many of the innovations in hair design that are still with us today originated in the late 19th century. The Marcel wave, also known as the finger wave, was first created around 1890 using heated irons. The hot-blast dryer, which evolved into today’s blow dryer, was also invented at that time. Madam C.J. Walker, a former slave, formulated products that could soften and straighten the hair of black women. She later became the first African American woman to earn $1 million. The first electric haircutter, consisting of a comb with a platinum wire that was heated and used to burn off the ends of the hair, was invented around the turn of the century.

      002

      Fun Fact

      The first known school for hairdressing in the United States was established in Chicago in 1890.

      A Look Forward

      It wasn’t uncommon for hair to be scorched by hot tools until it was the texture of coarse wool. Nowadays, hair-care techniques are much gentler, and the reasons people choose to visit salons are diverse. They include:

      • Wanting to look great for a special occasion, like the prom, a wedding, or a party.

      • Wanting the same ’doo as a favorite celebrity (who could forget Jennifer Aniston’s choppy layers or Farrah Fawcett’s feathered sides?).

      • Wanting to change a look by perming, coloring, or straightening tresses.

      • Wanting to correct the damage caused by overprocessing done by amateurs.

      • Wanting to update a look (like eschewing the Jackie Kennedy bob worn since she was the First Lady).

      • Wanting to look like a new person (like going from mousy brown to ravishing red).

      All this is good news, considering the bad hairdos that have been popular in recent decades (think mullets and technicolor mohawks) and the trend toward gleaming chrome domes as sported by NBA players in the past decade. So now your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to start a great new salon with the right rep so people will leave the boring salon they’ve been frequenting and make a mad dash to your door.

      The Opportunities

      There are three ways you can make your mark on the hair industry. You can open a franchise hair salon, in which you pay money upfront for the privilege of opening that salon using someone else’s established name (which gives you an instant reputation) and its resources (like advertising campaigns). You can buy an established salon from someone who’s retiring from the business, has tired of the business, or has damaged the business and forced it into bankruptcy (all three happen every day). You can establish your own salon using your own money, your own ingenuity and your own optimism that hard work and talent will win out.

      While you’ll find a list of well-known hair franchises in the Appendix of this book, the real focus of this how-to guide will be on starting your own salon/spa from scratch. And just as a side note: While the term salon is used throughout the book, it’s meant to include both salon and day spa services, as the title on the cover of the book indicates. Since the tools necessary to open both are basically the same, it seemed redundant to say salon/spa over and over. The specifics relating to the spa end of the business, from the types of equipment needed to the types of services offered, are discussed in detail in Chapter 8.

      003

      Stat Fact

      There are approximately 1.6 million cosmetology professionals employed in salons and barber shops in the United States

      By the way, before we move on to the nuts and bolts—or shall we say the shampoo and conditioner—of the salon industry, there’s one more type of salon that bears mentioning here because it’s so prevalent in the beauty business. Booth rental salons are owned by a person (or persons) who’s basically the landlord for a group of hairstylists and other service providers working under his or her roof. As the landlord, the salon owner/operator collects a flat monthly fee from the service providers, for which they have the privilege of using salon space and nonremovable equipment like a styling station and chair. The renters, in turn, are considered independent contractors who must provide their own supplies (everything from hair dryers to perm rods), set their own hours, book their own appointments, and have their own key to the building.

      Or at least that’s the way the IRS expects booth rentals to work. If you pay your renters a commission, provide items like back-bar supplies and towels, schedule appointments, process credit card transactions, and/or offer benefits like paid vacations and insurance, then you have employees rather than independent contractors. And you can be sure that the IRS won’t smile benevolently on your fledgling business venture if you try to pass your renters off as independent contractors.

      If you’d like to know more about the distinctions between employees and independent contractors like booth renters, download a copy of Publication 1779, Independent Contractor or Employee, from the IRS website at irs.gov. But for the purposes of this book, it’s assumed that you’re not establishing a booth rental operation, but rather a full-fledged salon and day spa.

      So what does it take to be a successful salon/spa entrepreneur? First, it helps to be a risk taker, says John Palmieri, owner of Scizzors in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It’s to your advantage to jump in and just do it, Palmieri says. Don’t overanalyze the process or you won’t get anything done. Take a chance—open the door and start letting customers in.

      Leslie Rice, co-owner of Goldwaves Salon and Spa in Fort Worth, Texas, believes you have to be willing to try anything to succeed. If you’re scared, you’ll hinder your growth. Instead, go for it, then re-evaluate what doesn’t work and fix it, Rice says.

      You have to be able to see the big picture and not get bogged down in the details, says Sasha Rash, owner of La Jolie Salon in Princeton, New Jersey.

      According to Vander E. Harris Jr., former president of the National Black Hair Association, You have to have determination and an entrepreneurial mindset to be successful. You also need vision and goals.

      A thirst for knowledge, a strong constitution, and an indefatigable spirit are also traits the entrepreneurs interviewed for this book said were necessary for success. Now add a dash of humor and a pinch of determination to the mixture, and you definitely have a recipe for success. We’ll help you get rolling with advice from this book. In the meantime, think you’re cut out to own and run a salon? Take the Salon Savvy Survey below to find out.

      Salon Savvy Survey

      Take this short quiz to see if you have what it takes to be a successful salon/spa owner:

      1. Can you supervise and motivate giggly teens, chatty 20-somethings, menopausal manicurists, and the other 64 common types of employees?

      ❑ Yes ❑ No

      2. Has your hair been at least two different colors in the past six months?

      ❑ Yes ❑ No

      3. Can you juggle up to a dozen tasks at once for 12 hours straight and still have enough energy to drive home at night? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      4. Do you prefer to nap in the nearest hydraulic chair rather than go home? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      5. Do you do windows and fold towels? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      6. Do you like to do windows and fold towels? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      7. Can you write massive tax payment checks to the IRS every quarter without staging a four-county taxpayer revolt? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      8. Would red ink on your balance statement make you sob more than the film An Affair to Remember? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      9. Would you cringe if someone playfully referred to your salon as a clip joint? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      10. Do you automatically rotate hair-care product bottles on the shelf so the labels are facing out, even in the grocery store? ❑ Yes ❑ No

      Scoring

      9–10 yes: You’re a shear genius.

      5–8 yes: Your career is lookin’ good.

      1–4 yes: Better get set for a long learning curl.

      0 yes: Keep buying those lottery tickets.

      2

      The Salon Scene

      Before we delve into the myriad details that go into establishing a salon and day spa, let’s take a look at the numerous services typically offered by today’s maison de beauté (or house of beauty, if you avoided French 101 in high school). Naturally, there are more services described in this chapter than you could possibly hope to offer when you first go into business. So in Chapter 3, we’ll discuss how you can analyze your market area to determine which of these services might be the most attractive to your target audience and make the most money for you. But in the meantime, we’ve presented every possible option here so it will be easier for you to make some choices later, when you formulate your business plan.

      Also included in this chapter is a brief overview of the day-to-day operations involved in keeping a salon and spa humming along, as well as a discussion of the decisions you must make early on to put your salon development project into motion.

      Chop Shop

      On the hair salon side, the most sought-after service is, of course, haircutting and styling. This includes everything from styles created with a blow dryer, curling iron, or hand scrunching to tried-and-true roller/dryer sets for senior citizens. Popular color services include highlighting, low lighting, glazing, corrective coloring, dimensional special effects, and hair and scalp treatments. Texture services include permanent waves, partial or spot perms, spiral perms, and anti-curl treatments. Braiding falls into a category of its own. There actually are many salons that specialize in nothing but this particular hair art, but there’s no reason you can’t offer it in your salon, too. Just keep in mind that it’s a very time-consuming service and many of the most successful braiding salons have two or more stylists working on one client at the same time. Finally, special-occasion hairstyling, for events like proms and weddings, rounds out the typical hair services menu.

      Although technically an aesthetic service, nail and foot care are often offered in hair salons. Nail services include:

      • Acrylic nail application

      • Manicures (both traditional and French)

      • Nail tipping

      • Nail wrapping

      • Paraffin treatments

      • Pedicures

      • Sculpted nail application

      • Skin exfoliation and hand/foot massage are often part of the manicure and pedicure processes.

      Selecting Services

      As mentioned in the previous chapter, this book was developed on the premise that you will be establishing a full-service salon rather than a family hair salon that concentrates on quick-turnover services like haircuts and perms. As a result, you should plan to offer the full range of hair care services mentioned earlier. Of course, the number of special services you provide may be limited by the proficiency of the help you hire and the training you can offer them, but at the very least, you should offer haircuts and styling, basic perms, straightening treatments, and color services.

      Whether you offer nail services or not is entirely dependent on the size of your salon and whether you can afford both the equipment and the salary of a nail technician at the outset. Today’s nail client is used to visiting shops devoted only to nail services, so she won’t be surprised if you don’t offer manicures, acrylic nails, and tipping. But you may be able to get her to leave her regular manicurist if she sees that you’re offering the same service at your cool new salon. We’ll talk about equipment in Chapter 7 and salaries in Chapter 9, so you can table your decision about whether to include nail services for now.

      It’s a Man’s World

      It wasn’t so long ago that no self-respecting male would be caught dead in a day spa. But all that has changed with the aging of the baby boomers, who are devoted to looking youthful, staying healthy, and being fit.

      The International Spa Association reported recently that 34 percent of spa clients are men, who are usually introduced to the spa experience by their wives or girlfriends. (Hold the pink robes, please.) Their number-one choice of service is massage. So as you plan your day spa, be sure to include amenities for men.

      Design the spa with separate waiting and changing areas for men, and stock them with men’s magazines, and maybe even a TV tuned to ESPN. Stock up on spa products with a more masculine scent (something woodsy or musky). Then attract men to your facility by running special promotions just for them, such as Stress Relief Night for Men. You might even offer bachelor party packages.

      Or you could try offering men-only spa services like Ben Davis does in The Gent’s Place, his combination barbershop, spa, and men’s club, which he opened in Frisco, Texas, in 2008. I built The Gent’s Place with the neighborhood barbershop of the past in mind but with all the amenities and services that the modern gentleman requires to keep a consistent and professional look, says Davis.

      In addition to spa and barbershop services—haircuts, color, massage, shaves, facials, and hand and foot repairs (rather than manis and pedis)—The Gent’s Place offers a bar waiting area equipped with HDTV and a selection of complimentary beer, whisky, and wine. If you’re getting lousy haircuts and poor service from the discount chains or being ‘womanized’ at your wife’s salon, it’s time to man up, says Davis.

      The Gent’s Place isn’t the only place to man up in the United States. Dallas has several men-only spas, one of which services up to 130 clients on Saturdays alone. It’s definitely a trend that bears watching.

      Smoothing and Soothing

      As mentioned in the last chapter, spa services continue to be a strong segment of the personal care industry. The range of services is truly dazzling, but basically, aesthetic services offered at a day spa fall into three categories: skin and body care, hair removal, and makeup. Technically, there’s a fourth category—nail services—but as we just mentioned, nail services have crossed over into the beauty mainstream and are no longer considered just a spa service. However, when offered in a spa setting, nail services tend to be higher priced than in a salon.

      Skin- and body-care spa services include:

      • Facials and body exfoliation (which may involve the use of salt glows, body polish, enzyme peels, and body masks like mud or paraffin)

      • Massage (full body massage, facial and/or hand/foot massage)

      • Wraps and packs (used to combat cellulite and reduce water retention)

      • Hydrotherapy treatments (whirlpool baths, Scotch hose—a type of massage that uses a hose to direct streams of water on the body to improve circulation—and hot tub treatments)

      • Body tanning (self-tanners and tanning beds)

      Hair-removal services include:

      • Electrolysis

      • Eyebrow arching

      • Waxing (face, legs, arms, bikini, back, and underarms)

      Makeup services include:

      • Color analysis

      • Cosmetics application

      • Ear piercing

      • Eyebrow tinting

      • Eyelash tinting

      These services and the equipment necessary to offer them are discussed in detail in Chapter 8.

      When determining which of these spa services to offer, it’s important to weigh factors like equipment cost against potential profitability. For instance, you may be a great believer in the benefits of hydrotherapy and would like to offer it in your new day spa, but hydrotherapy services require the greatest outlay of cash for equipment and facility development. So unless you have sufficient startup capital (and a significant amount of space to boot), it might be a better idea to limit your spa services initially to massage (which doesn’t require as much equipment or space) and/or facials. Then, when you’re operating profitably, you can expand your facility or move to a new one that will allow you to increase the scope of your day spa services.

      004

      Smart Tip

      Products perceived to have anti-aging properties, like natural cosmetics and spa products with ingredients like green tea, grapeseed extract, and clay and sea minerals, continue to be popular among American consumers, says Euromonitor International, a provider of global consumer business intelligence. So you should add them to your salon and spa product lineup as a way to increase sales.

      Another important factor to consider when deciding which spa services you’ll offer is that many of them require a wet room. This includes the hydrotherapies mentioned above, as well as any body masks, exfoliation treatments, and other body treatments that must be rinsed off after application. Even if you decide not to offer hydro services when you first open, you should at least plan to include a wet room in your initial plans or you’ll always be limited to dry services—unless, of course, you move to new digs or expand your existing location.

      There’s yet another compelling reason for offering wet services. Water treatments are the very nature of a spa, says Colleen Blevins-Lunsford, the former owner of Wolf Mountain Day Spa in Grass Valley, California, who recently met the man of her dreams and moved to England. Spas are about health and wellness, and for centuries man and beast alike have found healing and cures from the ocean, moor bogs, natural springs, and so on. If [water] treatments are not offered, then the spa is considered a skin-care salon or clinic.

      Because the concept of a day spa implies a day of pampering similar to what you might enjoy on a spa vacation or a cruise ship, it’s common for spa owners to offer packages of services. Generally speaking, packages should consist of at least three complementary services, or in the case of hydrotherapy treatments, one hydro service and up to four dry services. Spa industry insiders recommend offering half-day packages that run about three hours and full-day, five-hour packages that include 30 minutes to an hour for a light lunch.

      Sample packages might include:

      • Manicure, pedicure, makeup, hair styling (half day)

      • Salt glow rub, body sugaring, full body massage (half day)

      • Hot stone therapy, stone manicure and pedicure (half day)

      • Scotch hose hydrotherapy, full-body mask, Swedish massage (full day)

      • Hydrotherapy tub, mud body wrap, full-body massage, herbal facial (full day)

      • Sea salt exfoliation, Vichy shower, massage, spa lunch (full day)

      • Anti-aging facial treatment, deep-tissue massage, scalp treatment, facial (full day)

      005

      Stat Fact

      In 1987, there were 30 day spas in the United States, according to The Spa Expert at the Marshall Plan, a Venice, California–based communications firm specializing in spas and resorts. By 2008, the number of day spas had risen to nearly 14,500, and spa visits increased 25 percent from 2007 to 2008, according to the International Spa Association.

      Spa packages often have colorful and evocative names that bring to mind relaxing vacation retreats. Examples include Tropical Indulgence (for a seaweed wrap and coconut facial) and Calming Waters Escape (for a variety of relaxing hydro services).

      Beauty Business Basics

      Before we start delving into the intricacies of the services you can expect to offer as a new hair salon/day spa owner, let’s take a global look at the business, from day-to-day operations to price-setting.

      A Day in the Life

      Even though no two days tend to be alike for salon owners because the needs of their clients (not to mention their employees) vary so widely, there are certain tasks you can expect to perform on a regular basis. To begin with, you’ll probably spend a lot of time on the telephone every day, helping to book appointments, ordering supplies, talking to salespeople, arranging for in-shop or offsite training, and so on. You’ll also have to make up work schedules (then juggle them to accommodate employees’ scheduled time off and personal needs), track receivables, monitor costs, dream up new advertising and marketing strategies, and possibly create daily or weekly specials that can be e-mailed or tweeted to your regular customers to lure them in for additional services. On the personnel side, you’ll hire new employees, visit beauty schools to troll for hot prospects, conduct performance reviews, mentor young stylists and/or aesthetics technicians with minimal experience, consult with stylists or colorists whose efforts go awry, squelch gossip, and mediate when tempers flare between staff members. And of course, if you’re also a licensed practicing cosmetologist, you’ll be styling hair, applying color, and rolling perms.

      Sounds like a lot for one person to do, doesn’t it? Well, it is—and that’s why many salon owners (even those whose salons are small) hire a salon manager to take over some of the administrative duties. This is a particularly good idea if you intend to continue to work behind the chair, since hairstyling chores alone can take up a lot of your time every day. And while it’s possible to slip in some administrative work while you’re waiting for someone’s perm to process or a late client to arrive, it can be difficult to switch gears and give administrative tasks, like balancing the books, the full concentration they need.

      You’ll find a detailed discussion about hiring and managing administrative and salon/spa employees in Chapter 9.

      By now it should be obvious that attention to detail is one of the most important personal traits a salon owner must have. You can make it easier to keep track of all the details related to running your salon by investing in a good planner to help you keep appointments and activities straight and on schedule. A Franklin planner, DayTimer, or other notebook-style planner will work just fine if you prefer to work on paper. But if you’re a techie, you might like to use a mobile pocket PC, smartphone, software program, or online tool instead.

      Known until recently as PDAs (for personal digital assistant) pocket PCs don’t have built-in voice communication capability but do offer many other useful features like a digital camera, texting capability, and oh yes—a calendar function. A couple to check out include the Dell Axim and the HP iPAC.

      If you use a cell phone a lot, you’ll probably prefer a mobile Smartphone instead since it combines the functions of a PDA with voice communication tools. The iPhone and BlackBerry are fully featured smartphones that are worth a look.

      006

      Stat Fact

      There are 825,000 people employed in personal appearance jobs (like barbering and cosmetology), according to the latest edition of the BLS’s Occupational Outlook Handbook.

      You also can use calendar software or online calendars, such as the Google Calendar, to keep track of your appointments. Just Google calendar software for a selection of choices. In addition, Microsoft Word has 30 built-in calendar templates, which you can print out for easy access, or save to your computer so you can make electronic notations. To find the templates, open a new document and search for calendar.

      Finally, the hair salon software packages discussed in Chapter 7 include calendars, so if you’re planning to use salon software, you might want to hold off on buying standalone calendar software until you see what the salon software can do.

      In the meantime, if you want additional information about pocket PCs or smartphones, visit Pocket PC Central at pocketpccentral.net, which demystifies the hardware and its capabilities in Plain English.

      Minding the Store

      Although you’re still in the early stages of planning your new salon/spa, it’s not too soon to start thinking about some of the specific operational issues that will impact and contribute to the success of your business. To begin with, you must consider your hours of operation carefully so you can accommodate the maximum number of clients during the business day. You undoubtedly already know that the beauty business isn’t a 9-to-5 kind of industry. With the exception of urban businesses, which close up when the office workers go home, salons generally are open seven days a week and on some of the traditional holidays, and their hours may be extended around prom time or during peak wedding season. Even day spas usually are open on Sundays since this often is the only time during the week that a busy professional or mom can get away for some personal pampering.

      Typically, hair salons in metropolitan areas are open from 10 A.M. to 9 P.M. seven days a week and from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. in smaller communities. By design, Sunday and holiday hours often are the same as those of local retailers like malls and department stores, and generally run from noon to 5 P.M. Lunch hours and early evening hours tend to be the busiest times for salons. You also may need to have special hours to accommodate special needs. For example, if you do a lot of wedding work, you’ll probably have to be open earlier on Saturday mornings, say at 7 A.M., for the brides who have to get to church for a 10 A.M. service.

      007

      Beware!

      Make sure you don’t undercharge for services, even if you have a low break-even point. You’ll be so booked up that you won’t be able to fit in new clients, and your business won’t be able to grow.

      The Price Is Right

      Another important part of your salon development plan is the appropriate pricing of your services. Set prices too high, and you’ll limit the number of people who can afford them; set them too low, and you’ll limit your profit potential, and possibly put the business at risk. Of course, the price the market will bear is very much dependent on the demographics of your service area. If you’re in an upscale area with larger homes occupied by people with more disposable income, you can price your services accordingly, and even offer high-end spa services. But if the surrounding community is peopled by young working families, you’ll have to forego the spa services (or offer no more than the bare minimum) and concentrate instead on basic haircutting, affordably priced color services, and manicures.

      Setting prices requires more than visiting other salons in your target market, collecting service menus, and pricing your own services so they’re competitive. Rather, you must consider the three factors that will influence your prices: labor and supplies, overhead, and profit.

      Labor costs for salons/spas include salary and benefits costs for both your stylist /spa staff and administrative people (including your manager, receptionist, and other support staff). Your own salary is included as a part of this cost. This cost is generally expressed as a price per hour and can vary depending on the amount of time it takes your employees to cut hair or perform other services.

      According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook, half of all salaried hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists earn an average of $21,320 per year (including tips and commissions). Based on a 40-hour week, that works out to $10.25 per hour. On the other hand, a survey by the National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences says the average total income for a stylist in a full-service salon (excluding tips) is $40,000 a year, or $19.23 per hour. That’s quite a wide spread, so you will need to find out how much salons in your area are paying so you can come in at the appropriate rate.

      Here’s a way to figure out your costs. Using the lower $10.25 per hour rate mentioned above, assuming it takes a stylist 45 minutes to shampoo, cut, and style one customer, and assuming that materials constitute 6 percent of labor cost, your labor and materials cost would work out like this:

      008

      Next, you need to consider your overhead costs, which consist of all costs required to operate the business other than labor. This includes your mortgage or lease payment, utilities, and so on. Since you don’t have prior-year expense data to base this figure on, it’s reasonable to estimate that your overhead will be from 40 to 50 percent of your labor and materials cost. (This figure can be adjusted later as you accumulate financial data.)

      009

      Bright Idea

      To increase your visibility and build goodwill in the community, you can donate professional services (like a haircut and styling or a massage) or a basket of beauty products to key charitable organizations for fundraisers or raffles. Just don’t overextend yourself—make sure you can afford the gift in terms of time and cost.

      So let’s say when you tally up all your labor and materials costs for the year, you arrive at a figure of $100,000. Your estimated overhead expenses (at 45 percent) would be $45,000. This would give you an overhead rate of 45 percent. Using that overhead rate, you can calculate your operating expenses as:

      The last part of the pricing equation is profit. Salon owners generally can expect to have a net profit of 11 to 15 percent (although you can certainly make this profit figure higher or lower as you see fit). To arrive at the net profit you want, you have to add a markup percentage factor so you’ll arrive at the approximate gross amount you’ll earn. We’ve provided a markup table on pages 17–18 to help you.

      Let’s assume you want to net a profit of 15 percent. To determine a basic haircut price, use this equation:

      Obviously, many salons charge far more than this amount for a basic cut/style—usually more like $30 to $40—and in these cases, their costs are covered and their net profit is secure. In fact, Neil Ducoff, founder of Salon Business Strategies in Centerbrook, Connecticut, says he knows one stylist who can do a $90 haircut in seven minutes—and does it well.

      John Palmieri of Scizzors in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, simplifies the process of setting prices to the extreme. He suggests figuring out how much the salon needs to make for the year and do the math to arrive there. For instance, let’s assume you want the salon to make $75,000 per year. Here are the calculations you’d use to figure out your prices:

      $75,000/52 weeks = $1,442 per week

      $1,442/100 hours the salon is open each week = $14.42/hour

      Add a 10 percent profit margin ($1.42) = $15.84/hour

      Markup Table

      And when any of your costs go up, you just adjust your hourly rate to cover them, he adds.

      Palmieri says this formula works for him because all services basically cost the same amount per hour. Also, having a set rate like this prevents problems, such as having specialists like colorists earning more, or worrying about the cost for products (which are worked into the formula at a rate of 7.5 percent anyway).

      It really makes everything easier, he says. Why drive yourself crazy?

      All the formulas described here for pricing haircuts can be used for pricing all other salon and spa services.

      At Their Service

      Next on your initial list of things to do should be to create a salon services menu. This should be handled as soon as you determine exactly which services you’ll offer and how you’ll price them, since your menu can be given out to potential clients or used as a direct-mail piece to generate pre-opening buzz about the business. Ultimately, you should display a quantity of these menus in a holder on your reception desk so they’re always nearby for customers who are interested in other services.

      The salon services menu is usually formatted as a brochure. It should reflect the look you want for your salon, from high style to snazzy, funky to cool. Ideally, it should be printed in the same colors as your salon is decorated, and on the best stock you can afford, like 75-pound enamel cover stock (a type of shiny card stock that can be printed in vibrant colors).

      You also might consider having a graphic designer create a logo for your salon, which can be used on your menu, salon sign, promotional materials, business cards, and other printed pieces. It should have a distinctive look so it can stand alone without having the name of your salon with it. Examples of logos that do this successfully are the Nike swoosh and Microsoft Windows’ flying window emblem, both of which effectively evoke their product brand when you see them.

      The copy on the menu should be simple but descriptive enough so that clients know what each service entails. For instance, there’s no mystery when it comes to a description like blow dry and style or spa manicure. But dimensional special effects might not be as obvious, and since some people are too embarrassed to admit they don’t understand, they’ll never be a consumer of that particular service since they don’t have a clue what it is. You’ll find a sample salon services menu on page 22.

      If you’re opening a spa, you really have to be descriptive and creative when it comes to your services menu because so many of the services may not be familiar to the average salon customer. Even people who have been to a spa may be unfamiliar with a term like parafango therapy (a combination of paraffin and mud often used to decrease the appearance of cellulite) or a service like salt glow exfoliation (which uses mineral salts, often from the Dead Sea, to exfoliate and rejuvenate skin). In Chapter 8, you’ll find descriptions of spa treatments that will be helpful when you write your own spa menu copy.

      If you’ve decided to offer spa services as a way to increase revenue and emulate the level of service offered at fine spa resorts, you should describe these services in detail on your spa menu. As a way to build excitement and interest, try trotting out all the adjectives your third grade English teacher told you to lock away for good. For instance, the following adjectives could be used to describe a facial: deep-cleansing, deluxe, purifying, rejuvenating, anti-aging, refining, and refreshing.

      Even though you want your salon and/or spa menu to look classy, you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune printing it. To save money on printing costs, have it designed as an 8½-by-11-inch document that can be folded into a two-panel brochure size (which fits a standard No. 10 envelope). Also, the more pieces you print, the lower the per-piece price will be. Just be sure you don’t print too many at a time since prices and services do change.

      Swabbing the Decks

      Another operational task that’s required to uphold the image of your salon is regular maintenance. It’s not enough to sweep up hair clippings after a cut or to wash and fold towels—you have to keep the salon looking and smelling fresh and clean so it’s inviting at all times, no matter how much traffic comes through the door or how bad the weather is. Some salon owners prefer to have a maintenance crew come in to handle everything except the basics like sweeping and folding towels. The cost can be high, at up to $200 per visit, but the benefits truly do outweigh the cost. Alternatively, you could hire a person whose job is to clean up, do laundry, and otherwise keep the salon tidy. Scizzors’ John Palmieri has a full-time maintenance employee on staff who arrives two hours before the salon opens to do the laundry, sweep, clean up the refreshment center, and fold towels, among other chores. That way, we have a very clean salon, which is important. We’re all just too busy to clean up after ourselves, Palmieri says.

      The majority of owners interviewed for this book simply make daily maintenance, from vacuuming to taking out the trash and dusting counters, a responsibility of every person in the salon. That’s the benefit of a team-based employment system, says Daryl Jenkins of HairXtreme in Chester, Virginia. It doesn’t matter if you’re cutting hair or folding towels—everyone is expected to pitch in. The only other help we have is a floor guy who comes in every two weeks to do the floors and carpet at a cost of $55 per visit.

      To find a company that offers daily, weekly, or monthly maintenance contracts, check the Yellow Pages under Janitorial Service.

      Magic Money Makers

      How would you like to help your salon make extra money each month with very little effort? Then plan to offer a carefully selected assortment of retail hair-care and spa products.

      According to industry experts, retail products can make your profits grow significantly. Other than ordering the product, arranging it attractively on shelves in your reception area, rotating product, and controlling inventory, there’s not much more involved in product retailing. But you do have to educate your staff to sell the products they use on their clients, you have to make the products easily accessible in the salon, and you have to sell a wide enough assortment of products to appeal to most—if not all—customers.

      Since your stylists and spa technicians are the best salespeople for retail products, you can pump up retail sales by offering them a performance bonus for selling a certain dollar amount of retail products each month or quarter. Or you could tie their annual merit raises to sales goals you set at the time of their annual performance evaluation.

      To increase product visibility in the salon/spa, display hair-care products like shampoo, conditioner, mousse, gel, and wax, as well as implements like brushes, combs, and dryers, prominently in the reception area, preferably on the wall that faces the chairs where clients wait. Don’t pack the shelves too tightly, or it will discourage the casual looker from picking up products and reading their labels. Finally, make sure you offer a wide enough selection of products. This is especially important if you decide to specialize in just one product line, like Aveda or Bumble and bumble. Clients will expect to see every product necessary to tame their tresses and keep them looking salon-fresh.

      Salon Equipment International, which keeps its finger on the pulse of salon and spa industry issues, says that retail sales should account for 25 percent of a salon’s overall profits. So you can see there’s a lot of money to be made if employees are trained correctly, and you have the right products on hand. Among the product lines the salon owners interviewed for this book feature in their salons are Aveda, Bumble and bumble, and Goldwell. See the Appendix for contact information for some of the industry’s leading professional salon product manufacturers.

      The Gift of Beauty

      One aspect of salon sales that has really heated up recently is gift certificate sales. Many salons offer either paper gift certificates or plastic gift cards as a way to corral more cash during those all-important gift-giving seasons, like the December holiday period, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Many of the owners interviewed for this book are making big bucks on gift certificate sales—$200,000 a year in the case of one salon/spa that has annual revenues of $3 million; $170,000 a year at another salon/spa that has annual sales of just under $1 million. On the other hand, another owner says gift certificate sales are minimal because the salon doesn’t have spa services. What appears to be more typical is a gift certificate sales rate of about 10 percent of overall sales.

      The beauty of gift certificates is that they bring in a lot of cash for a very small investment. If you’re lucky, many of your gift certificates will be redeemed during the slower months that follow the holiday gift-giving season. If you’re even luckier, the women who receive gift certificates for Mother’s Day will come in during the slower summer months. But don’t leave anything to chance—be sure to budget the initial gift certificate purchase money wisely so you’ll easily be able to handle the increased operational costs that could result when they’re redeemed. And, of course, there’s always the chance that gift certificates can be lost or misplaced, but in these cases, you’re covered: You’ve made money without having to spend money on labor and materials.

      Salon Services

      Daryl Jenkins of HairXtreme has some blunt advice for salon owners thinking of starting a gift card program. Go with an electronic gift card system, he says. Handling paper was insane. Besides being time-consuming to fill out, paper gift certificates are more complicated to track. It’s also easier to lose them—and for the consumer to duplicate them fraudulently. Encoded cards are pretty much error-free.

      Finally, Gift Card USA (giftcardusa.com), a provider of plastic gift cards and loyalty programs, says customers spend 40 percent more with plastic gift cards than with paper, which is why virtually all large retailers use them. Research has shown that gift cards also improve client loyalty and retention.

      010

      Smart Tip

      To increase retail sales, try creating small haircare product displays at each stylist station. Although these mini displays should focus mainly on the products each stylist uses at his/her station, you certainly can include other new or innovative products as part of the mix.

      To implement a gift card program, you’ll need a plastic card printer/encoder for magnetic stripe cards, a handheld scanner or a magnetic strip reader, and a supply of plastic gift cards. Typical costs for a gift card program include setup, monthly and transaction fees; the cost of supplies (including the cards and display materials); and a fee to buy or lease the equipment. You’ll find the names of a few gift card program vendors you can explore in the Appendix.

      3

      Casting Your (Hair)net: Market Research

      The last time you were in the market for a new car, did you walk into the dealership nearest your house, point at the car parked inside the door, and pay the sticker price without a thought about your budget? Probably not. Instead, you likely checked out what other people were driving, carefully researched the vehicles you wanted on the internet or in showrooms, asked friends and business associates for recommendations, and then checked Consumer Reports or other sources before taking a test drive. Then you signed on the dotted line.

      Although choosing a new hair salon isn’t as risky for consumers as making a new vehicle purchase, and hair care costs much less than automobiles, your prospects are likely to choose just as carefully. Their decision will be based on the salon’s reputation, recommendations from friends, location, and of course, price. And since you don’t have a reputation yet, it’s your job to get the word out about the great products and services you’re going to offer so customers will want to patronize your salon. Market research will help you do this efficiently and successfully.

      011

      Dollar Stretcher

      The U.S. Census Bureau’s website (census.gov) has a wealth of demographic information available by state and county that can be useful when you’re doing your market research. Most of the information is available online at no charge, which is easy on the budget.

      Before we plunge into the wonderful world of marketing, please note that market research is not the same as advertising (which we’ll discuss in Chapter 11). By market research, we mean the process you go through to identify the people you want to service, and the plan you’ll develop to entice them to visit your salon. And take heed, young Jedi: You must not bypass this step, or the Force will not be with you. All the clever and expensive advertising in the world won’t attract customers and increase your bottom line if you’re marketing to the wrong audience.

      Market research does all the following things:

      • It helps you identify exactly who might be interested in using your services.

      • It helps you determine whether the geographical area in which you want to set up shop can actually sustain your new salon/spa.

      • It provides you with useful information and data that can help you avoid big problems down the road that could negatively impact your business (i.e., problems that could put you out of business).

      You might be thinking, "I went to cosmetology school to avoid taking a statistics class! Besides, there are heads everywhere, and many have bad haircuts.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1